Next Race: Federated Auto Parts 400 The Place: Richmond Raceway The Date: Saturday, September 22 The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN, 6:30 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 300 miles (400 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 100), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 200), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 400) Keselowski On A Roll Brad Keselowski earned his third consecutive win Sunday in Las Vegas and, also for the third consecutive time, hoisted the trophy without leading the most laps. His No. 2 Team Penske Ford team has obviously figured out how to be out front when it matters most. In the last five races, he’s had three victories and a runner-up at Michigan. The Las Vegas trophy marked his team owner, and NASCAR Hall of Fame-bound, Roger Penske’s 500th win in motorsports competition. And also historically speaking, this week’s Richmond venue has been a solid place for Keselowski. He led a dominating 383 of 400 laps when he won from the pole position in 2014. He’s finished 11th or better in the last six races and was runner-up in the spring, 2017 race while leading 110 laps. His current winning streak puts him atop the leaderboard and advances him to the Round of 12. Truex Looking Strong Martin Truex Jr. reclaimed the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points lead for only the second time this season, thanks to a third-place effort in Sunday’s race at Las Vegas and up-front showings in the opening two stages. It’s the first time the reigning Cup champion has been atop the points standings since a one-week turn after he won at Fontana, Calif. in Week 5 of the season. He sits second on the Playoffs leaderboard behind Brad Keselowski with one win in the Round of 16. His No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team arrives at Richmond for Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) still looking for his first victory at the three-quarter mile track. Of his 18 career wins, none are at short track venues. He has two top-fives in 25 Richmond races. However, Truex has looked strong at Richmond lately. This spring, he won the pole position and led 121 laps, but ultimately finished 14th. He led 198 laps in the 2017 fall race but crashed out. He led 193 laps and finished third in the 2016 race at Richmond, his best-ever showing there. He’s led 512 of his career 560 laps led at Richmond in the last four races. Truex holds a two-point edge over regular-season champion Kyle Busch in the points standings with two races (at Richmond and at Charlotte’s road course) remaining in the first elimination portion of the Playoffs. “We’re at a point where that short track mentality at Richmond could make for a crazy night, especially with late-race restarts,” Truex said. “You know some of the guys are going to do whatever it takes to try and get locked into the next round and that could cause some havoc. You never know, but definitely, need to be prepared for all possibilities. “I agree it would be nice to not worry or depend on the Roval [new road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway] the following week to make sure you advance to the next round.” Kyle Busch Looks To Bounce Back Kyle Busch is the all-time winningest active driver at Richmond with five victories – a total behind only the sport’s Hall of Fame greats such as Richard Petty (13 wins), Bobby Allison (seven), Darrell Waltrip, David Pearson and Rusty Wallace (seven wins). But this week’s Richmond race isn’t so much about historical standing as it is championship pursuit. He’s gone seven races without a win, which ties his previous long winless streak in 2018. Busch had several issues last Sunday in Vegas but still managed to rally to a seventh-place finish in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. And he’s eager to reclaim his place atop the leaderboard with a win at Richmond, where he boasts the best average finish (5.55). Busch has 16 top-fives at the track in 26 starts, including six runner-up finishes to accompany his five wins. He won there just this spring (his third in a three-race streak), leading 32 laps and hoisting the trophy despite starting 32nd. He led laps in six of the precious eight races at Richmond. “I love Richmond,’’ Busch said. “It’s one of my favorite racetracks and one of my best racetracks. I love being able to go there and, of course, we put on some pretty good races there. We won four spring races in a row and I would have loved to have made it five or more. It’s a neat racetrack and it’s certainly an excitement track and there is a lot of action that happens there.” Highly-Motivated Harvick One of the most disappointing finishes at Las Vegas undoubtedly belonged to the season’s winningest driver. Seven-race winner Kevin Harvick crashed out early and finished 39th, collecting fellow Playoff driver Erik Jones in his crash. The good news for Harvick is he still maintains the season’s top driver rating (114.8 compared to Kyle Busch’s 110.6). He has three wins at Richmond, but the last one came in 2013 before he was at his current Stewart-Haas Racing team. He was fifth in the spring there – and has finished fifth in four of the last six races at the track. He has 22 top 10s in 35 starts. The historical perspective is good news for the driver of the No. 4 SHR Ford, but it’s been five races since his last win (at Michigan) and his fourth-place position in the points is the lowest since he was ranked fourth at Richmond this Spring. Penske Power Not only did Keselowski lead the three-car Team Penske parade to victory, the entire team finished among the top-five. Joey Logano was fourth and Ryan Blaney was fifth – the first collective top-five for the team this season. All things are looking up at precisely the Playoff time they’d like it to. In addition to Keselowski’s three straight wins entering the Richmond race this weekend, both Blaney and Logano are turning in championship-contending statistics as well. Although still working on his first victory of 2018, Blaney has six top-five and 13 top-10 finishes this season in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford. His 586 laps led is tops on his team. Keselowski has led 431 laps total and Logano, who won at Talladega this spring, has led 385. Only four other drivers have led more laps than Blaney and they all have race wins. Richmond will be a test for the 24-year old, however. His best showing in this race is 18th last year when he was driving for the Wood Brothers Racing team. However, Blaney hasn’t finished worse than 12th in a race since Daytona in July. Logano shows up at Richmond feeling energized as well. The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford has two previous wins and two pole positions at the track. He’s finished top-five in the last three races there, winning in the spring of 2017, finishing runner-up that fall and finishing fourth this spring while leading 92 laps. It’s been a good late summer stretch for Logano, has three top-five finishes in the season’s last four races, including a runner-up showing to teammate Keselowski at Darlington. He’s led 41 percent (159 of 385 laps) of his season lap total in the last four races. It’s Go-Time! Four drivers find themselves in a more intense Playoff situation than they’d like – all taken out of contention in accidents during Sunday’s Las Vegas race. As they arrive in Richmond, Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott, and Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Erik Jones and Denny Hamlin are ranked 13-16th, respectively – all facing elimination before the second round of the Playoffs if those slots hold. The 0.75-mile Richmond track, which hosted the final regular season race for years, now becomes a vital Playoff venue. That’s all positive for Johnson and Hamlin, who have three wins each at the track. Both Elliott and Jones are looking for their first victories. Johnson trails 12th-place Alex Bowman by six points. He is buoyed by his win total and 14 top-10s at Richmond. He is the last driver to win back-to-back races, sweeping the 2007 season. Hamlin trails Bowman by 20 points, but the Virginian has a positive relationship with the Richmond track, earning 11 top-fives there, including the three wins. Elliott, who trails Bowman by nine points, has two top 10s in six starts at Richmond, including a runner-up finish this spring. Jones, who trails Bowman by 19 points, has one top 10 in two Monster Energy Series starts at the track. “Obviously Las Vegas ended in a disappointing finish, so I’m looking forward to returning to Richmond where I know I can be competitive,’’ Hamlin said. “We’ve really got to work hard to collect Playoff points this weekend to put us back in contention, and we’re going to keep going after that win to make sure we set ourselves up to advance.” Day Making Season Debut Israeli driver Alon Day will be making his 2018 Monster Energy Series debut this weekend driving the No. 23 BK Racing Toyota at Richmond. The 26-year-old Tel Aviv native won the 2017 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series championship. This will be his second Cup start and first on an oval. He started and finished 32nd at Sonoma last year, driving the same car for BK Racing. His best finish in one of NASCAR’s three premier series is 13th on the Mid-Ohio road course in the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series race there. Maintaining Focus Several non-Playoff eligible drivers finished the day smiling at Las Vegas. Daniel Suarez, Ryan Newman and Paul Menard finished eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively. It marked back-to-back top-10s for Newman and Menard, who were 10th and ninth at Indy a week before. Regan Smith, who is substituting for Kasey Kahne in the Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet, was 12th – the highest finish for the No. 95 this season outside of Kahne’s fourth place run in the summer Daytona race. Corey LaJoie finished 16th – his best showing of the season and second-best Monster Energy Series finish after an 11th-place at Daytona International Speedway in the summer of 2017. Next Race: Go Bowling 250 The Place: Richmond Raceway The Date: Friday, September 21 The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN, 7 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 187.5 miles (250 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 75), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 150), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 250) Richmond Raceway Welcomes Xfinity Playoff Opener For the first time ever, the Go Bowling 250 at Richmond Raceway will kick off the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs on Friday, September 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. All the action will be under the lights as the 12 Playoff drivers will take their first step in contending for the title on the historic 0.75-mile short track. Sparks will be flying, and tempers will be tested, much like earlier this season at Richmond, when Playoff contenders Cole Custer won the pole and Christopher Bell grabbed his first of four NASCAR Xfinity Series victories on the season. Richmond Raceway is a 0.75-mile paved oval short track with 14 degrees of banking in the turns. The Go Bowling 250 race will be a true test for the competitors, totaling 250 laps broken up into three stages – Stage 1 and 2 will be 75 laps each and the Final Stage will be a 100-lap shootout. Prior to Richmond Raceway being selected as the track to host the Playoff opener this season, Kentucky Speedway held the position hosting the first races of the 2016 and 2017 postseasons. In 2016, the inaugural Playoffs opened at Kentucky and Elliott Sadler, then a Playoff contender, took the checkered flag in impressive fashion. It was his only win of the Playoffs that season, and he ultimately went on to make the Championship 4, but finished runner-up in the final standings to Daniel Suarez. Then last season, Tyler Reddick won the first race of the 2017 Playoffs at Kentucky Speedway. It was his first career Xfinity Series victory and he did it while on a part-time schedule driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, not eligible for the title. Much like Kentucky, Richmond is one of many tracks on the schedule that any driver can win at. For example, in the last seven NASCAR Xfinity Series races at the famed short track, there have been seven different winners – Christopher Bell (spring 2018), Brad Keselowski (fall 2017), Kyle Larson (spring 2017), Kyle Busch (fall 2016), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (spring 2016), Chase Elliott (fall 2015) and Denny Hamlin (spring 2015). Could we see an eighth? Possibly, only two former winners included in the streak are entered in this event – Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Christopher Bell. Justin Allgaier and Christopher Bell Are Out Front Early Being the top seeds in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs can have its perks. For instance, both Playoff standings leader Justin Allgaier and second-place Christopher Bell are more than 20 Playoff points ahead of their nearest competition heading into this postseason opener at Richmond Raceway on Friday (September 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). JR Motorsport’s Allgaier won the regular season championship last weekend at Las Vegas and now heads into the Playoffs as the No. 1 seed, seven points ahead of second-place Bell. This is Allgaier’s third consecutive season making the Playoffs. The veteran from Illinois completed the 2018 regular season with five wins, 15 top fives, 21 top 10s and an average finish of 8.7. “You got to keep racing these races the same way,” said Allgaier as he looks towards the Playoffs. “You got to go for wins, you got to go for stage wins. You got to get those bonus points because it is so challenging right now to keep the speed every week and execute.” Joe Gibbs Racing’s Bell is right behind Allgaier in the standings and isn’t showing signs of letting up. Bell’s 2018 rookie season has been electrifying to say the least, as the Oklahoma native has captured four wins, 14 top fives, 16 top 10s and an average finish of 10.7. Expect both top-seeded drivers to continue their recent success this weekend at Richmond. Allgaier has made 15 series starts at the 0.75-mile short track, posting three top fives, six top 10s and an average finish of 14.6. Plus, he finished eighth in the fall Richmond race last season. Despite all that, Allgaier may have his work cut out for him this weekend as Bell has taken to Richmond rather quickly. In two series starts, the Joe Gibbs Racing Sunoco rookie has posted one win (earlier this season), two top 10s and an average finish of 3.5. Third To 12th In The Playoffs Are Separated By Just 11 Points With their big points lead, a lot of the attention this opening weekend will be paid to the top two seeds on the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff leaderboard, but let’s not forget the next 10 drivers (from third to 12th) are only separated by 11 points as the series heads to Richmond Raceway for the first race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. All a driver must do is win and they are automatically moving on to the next round making, these next three races crucial to the drivers in this tight Playoff points battle. Only eight of the 12 drivers will move on to the next round. NBC Analyst and Former Xfinity Series Champion, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Returns To Racing No big deal, it’s just the 15-time most popular Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver, two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and on top of all that, now a world-wide NBC Sports Network Analyst and TV show host Dale Earnhardt Jr. making his stock car racing return this weekend in the Go Bowling 250 at Richmond Raceway on Friday, September 21 (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). At the conclusion of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, Hendrick Motorsport’s driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. decided to retire from full-time racing competition and instead pick up the headset and microphone in the NBC Sports booth and become a NASCAR TV analyst, to fans’ delight. Now for the first time since the 2017 championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will climb back into a race car and compete in one of NASCAR’s national series. Earnhardt will strap into the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet with crew chief Mike Bumgarner calling the shots from the pit box. Earnhardt has made seven series starts at Richmond Raceway, accumulating four wins (1998, 1999, 2002 and 2016), five top fives, six top 10s and an average finish of 6.7. Surprisingly, Earnhardt’s last NASCAR national series win came at Richmond back in 2016. Earnhardt’s Xfinity career has seen 139 starts, two titles (1998, 1999), 24 wins, 67 top fives, 91 top 10s and 10 poles. Sports Car Star Katherine Legge To Make First Oval Xfinity Start IMSA sports car star Katherine Legge will attempt to make her NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on an oval race track this weekend at Richmond Raceway. Legge’s previous stints in the series have all been on road courses, and this weekend the British competitor is looking to expand her resumé driving for JD Motorsports in the No. 15 Chevrolet on the historic 0.75-mile short track. If Legge makes the Go Bowling 250 field, she will become just the ninth different female competitor to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Richmond Raceway; joining Diane Teel, Patty Moise, Johanna Long, Danica Patrick, Shawna Robinson, Alli Owens, Erin Crocker and Tammy Jo Kirk. In addition, Legge would become the first female international competitor to compete in the series at Richmond, as she hails from Guilford, England. This weekend will be Legge’s third series start. Her previous two were run at Mid-Ohio and Road America; where she finished 30th and 14th, respectively. The best finish by a female competitor in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Richmond Raceway is 15th and the record is held by three competitors – Johanna Long (2013), Patty Moise (1988) and Diane Teel (1982). The all-time best finish by a female competitor in each NASCAR national series are: Monster Energy Series – Sara Christian’s fifth-place finish at Heidelberg in 1949; NASCAR Xfinity Series – Danica Patrick’s fourth-place finish at Las Vegas in 2011 and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – Jennifer Jo Cobb’s sixth-place finish at Daytona in 2011. Chip Ganassi Racing Grooming Some Of The Sport’s Next Best Facts are facts, and the fact is over the last three seasons no team has produced more first-time winners than Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR). This past weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Ross Chastain became the fourth new driver Chip Ganassi Racing has taken to Victory Lane in the NASCAR Xfinity Series; which is 33.3% of the series total (12) over the past three seasons (2016-2018). Chastain joins Alex Bowman (2017), Tyler Reddick (2017) and Justin Marks (2016) on CGR’s recent first-timers wins list. Impressively, each driver has capitalized on their opportunity and successes with CGR, Alex Bowman was a part-time driver and now currently races for Hendrick Motorsports full-time and is in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs; Tyler Reddick was also running part-time before his first win and now is full-time with JR Motorsports contending for the title in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and even Justin Marks continues to run part-time for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Xfinity Series and also competed in the 2018 Daytona 500 for Jay Robinson Racing finishing 12th. Much like the aforementioned drivers, Ross Chastain’s recent success has parlayed into a much better seeding in the Xfinity Playoffs heading into this weekend at Richmond than had he not won. He would have been 12th, but instead, he is currently sixth in Playoff standings only 29-points back from the standings lead. Chastain will be back in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet this weekend at Richmond Raceway. Chastain has been dominant when behind the wheel of the No. 42 and under the tutelage of crew chief Mike Shiplett; in their two starts together Chastain has been out front for 78.2% of his laps completed, including bringing home the win in Vegas. If he were to win again this weekend, Chastain would guarantee himself a spot in the Playoff’s Round of 8. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Next Race: Talladega 250 The Place: Talladega Superspeedway The Date: Saturday, October 13 The Time: 1 p.m. ET TV: FOX, 12:30 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 250.04 miles (94 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 20), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 40), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 94) source – NASCAR communications
